Sequel to Teaching Jeff
by Voyager Tip
Summary: Just some ideas about Brindle's motives and the omni's unusual functioning, as well as the final custody decision.  Begins right after the end of "Teaching Jeff".
1. An Uneasy Feeling

_Author's Note: A few readers asked for some more closure at the end of "Teaching Jeff" and an explanation for Brindle's behavior, etc. So, here are my ideas on those things. I hope you like them. This story starts right after the end of "Teaching Jeff."_

**Sequel to Teaching Jeff**

Chapter 1 An Uneasy Feeling

Bogg sat holding Jeffrey for what seemed like a long time. A soft knock on the door made him look up and a middle-aged woman with a kind face poked her head in and smiled at him.

"I'm Joyce, the night manager, we cleared out a room for you in back so you could be more comfortable," and she held the door open and motioned him to follow. Phineas stood up and followed her, carrying Jeffrey into a small room in the back of the unit. He laid him gently on the bed. He'd been afraid Jeff would wake up with all the jostling he had to do to get around the equipment in the corridor, but it seemed that Jeff was sound asleep. Bogg had no doubts that he hadn't been sleeping well because he never even stirred.

"Thanks," he whispered as Joyce left and he pulled off Jeff's shoes and covered him with the blanket. He was so completely limp that he seemed unconscious. Bogg looked at him; he seemed so vulnerable. He reached up and brushed a curl off his forehead with his thumb. Every once in a while he was struck again by how strong his feelings were for Jeff, and he experienced those feeling yet again as he sat quietly watching him sleep, looking so helpless and trusting. He'd never understood why he had these intense feelings of protectiveness for Jeff, but there was no doubt they were there. He sat beside him thinking that Jeffrey could sleep this soundly because he trusted Bogg to take care of him, to take care of the situation. Children were like that and that made it scary. How could you ever make every situation turn out for the best?

Bogg suddenly found himself feeling a bit uneasy. The way things stood right now, their future was totally in the hands of Dr. Bradshaw and a hand full of other people. Admittedly, Bradshaw did seem like a good man, but aside from Susan, he didn't have a great deal of trust in the others, at least not for something this important.

He moved to an upholstered chair beside the bed and leaned back. As the clock ticked the evening away, he suddenly realized he didn't feel quite so relaxed any more. In fact he started feeling a bit desperate. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned quickly in surprise, but no one was there. So sure was he that he'd felt a hand, that he actually stood up and spoke, "who was that?" he asked the empty room. Then his thoughts flew to the omni and he put his hand on it quickly, sure that someone had taken it, but it was still there, solid and safe under his hand.

"I must be going crazy," he whispered aloud as he sat back down. Maybe he had been asleep. He looked around, everything was quiet and as it should be, so he took some deep breaths and leaned back in the chair.

Again, he felt a hand on his shoulders and something brush against his cheek, and suddenly he reached again for whatever it was that he was sure was behind him. Again, nothing was there, but this time the feeling of the hand didn't disappear as he looked at his shoulder and around the empty room, and suddenly he thought of Jeffrey's mother and somehow, he came to know she was there. His fear seemed to dissolve and he sat still. Then he thought of the omni and felt sure it was working the way it was supposed to. He leaned back tiredly.

"Hey!" he yelled and grabbed the hand as he stood and turned. He fell and hit his head and knee against the frame of the bed.

"Bogg?" Jeff asked in surprise as he sat up in bed. Light was pouring in through a window and he could see Bogg on the floor. He got up and was at Bogg's side before he yelled again.

"Stop!"

"Wake up," Jeff said loudly, shaking his friend.

"Huh?" Phineas said breathing hard and looking around. The light was so bright it hurt his eyes and he put his hand up to cover them. "Jeff?"

"Yeah," and Jeff stood up and went to the window to adjust the shades. When he turned back he saw Bogg's hand go quickly to the omni on his belt.

"It was just a dream," Jeff told him, helping him back onto the chair and smiling.

"Yeah, you all right?" Bogg asked calming down.

"I feel great, but you don't look like you got much sleep," Jeff said smiling. It was morning and he felt refreshed, and better than he'd felt in a long time. Bogg however, looked pretty worn out to him.

"I didn't sleep too good," Bogg admitted. "Kept dreaming about somebody touching my shoulder, but I could never see who it was." He didn't mention that he had felt who it was. "Then I felt like I had to check the omni," he sighed and smiled at Jeff. "You slept like a log though."

"I didn't sleep very good in that house," Jeff told him and smiled.

Bogg looked at the clock, 5am, "how would you feel about taking a trip after we get something to eat?" he asked. He felt a strong need to see where the omni would take them in the few hours before the hearing.

...

During breakfast, Jeff listened to Bogg's theory about why the omni had put them with Blake. As he finished eating he spoke for the first time, "so you really think that the omni might be putting us down in certain places, not just to fix history, but so we can learn something too?"

Bogg paused and shrugged, "according to Judge Owens and Professor Garth, it's possible."

"Well, in Hillsborough, all you learned was that you liked Celeste," Jeff teased.

"Well, okay, maybe not me so much as you," he paused, "look we can debate this later," and Bogg's tone of finality told Jeff there were more important things to do. He looked at the clock, it was 5:30am.

"Hold on to me, I'm putting this in the Automatic Mode, and we'll see what happens. Omnis aren't supposed to work at headquarters, except in the Landing Area and Court Room."

Jeff held onto his arm tightly even though he doubted the omni would function. Immediately they felt themselves flying through the cosmos and he knew he'd been wrong.


	2. Brutal Times

Sequel to Teaching Jeff

Chapter 2 Brutal Times

Jeffrey and Phineas landed on a flat patch of dirt, near a line of trees.

"So where are we?" Jeff asked as he stood up quickly.

Bogg scanned the area, ensuring that Jeff was okay and that they were safe before unclipping the omni from his belt. "England 1282 AD, green light," he said.

"Look at that!" Jeff said and Bogg saw that he was pointing to a castle, not far in the distance.

"Uh," Bogg groaned.

"What's wrong?"

"This is my least favorite time and place in history," Bogg answered.

"Why is that?" Jeff asked, "castles with moats and Lords of the Manor? Sounds like fun."

"Fun? What about all the peasants, who worked the land for the Lord of the Manor?" and Jeff followed his gaze as Bogg stretched his hand out indicating the large expanse of farmland in front of them. They were standing in a tree line that separated a huge field from several structures that Jeff didn't think were solid enough to call huts. They could see many people working in the fields.

Jeff stared at them a long time before turning to Bogg, "do they look normal?" he asked hesitantly.

"Huh?" Bogg answered, he'd been staring at the castle's flag, "I know that symbol," he said.

"Look at them Bogg, they're all women and most of them look, " Jeff paused, "... pregnant," he said hesitantly.

This comment drew Bogg's gaze down into the field and he realized what Jeff said was true. "This is why I hate this time," he whispered.

"Isn't it kind of odd to have almost every woman in a village expecting a baby at the same time?" Jeff asked, staring at him.

"Not if an advance group from an invading army attacked about 6 months ago. They would have killed most of the men, defiled the women for fun and then gone back to report to their Lord about the castle fortifications, and lay of the land."

"What?" Jeff said in a tone of shock and surprise.

"It was a typical tactic of this time. If that's what's going on, almost every one of these women will be killed in the follow-up attack, probably in about three months, judging by how big they are now. They'll be easy to kill then, they'll either be having babies, or acting as midwives. Childbirth by itself will kill half without even attacking. Victory will be fast and easy, ... for the invaders." He paused and glanced over to see how Jeffrey was taking this information, then continued with a sigh, "the invading army will take over their lands and castle. They may keep some women alive to," he paused again, unsure about how to tell Jeffrey about this, "use as slaves."

They stood in silence as Jeff absorbed this information.

"Did you say that just having a baby will kill half of them?" Jeff asked.

Bogg nodded, "childbirth is a very dangerous time in a woman's life, and a baby's too."

"Why would the omni put us here?" Jeff asked, not wanting to dwell on this new information.

As if in answer, they suddenly heard voices. "Leave me alone!" a young girl's voice was shouting from not too far away.


	3. The People

Sequel to Teaching Jeff

Chapter 3 The People

Phineas ran towards the sound of the argument and Jeffrey followed. They saw a man and a girl as they ran behind a nearby structure.

"You leave me no choice," a man's voice said as he hit her across the face.

Bogg tackled him and they continued their fight on the ground as Jeff ran to the girl. She was young, but older than he was.

He stopped as she held a thick stick of wood in front of her to use as a weapon against him. "Are you okay?" he asked, stopping before he got close enough to be hit.

"Stay away from me," she threatened.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Jeff paused, holding up his hands to show he had no weapon.

"All right, up!" Bogg's voice ordered, and the man stood up and faced him.

As the four of them stood there, Jeff's eyes fell on the girl's belly, she was pregnant, about 6 months along, like the others. Something about her looked a bit familiar, but he couldn't place it.

He and Bogg exchanged glances, "what's going on here?" Bogg asked them.

"You're not an invader?" the man asked, he was short and muscular and obviously spent much of his time outside because his skin was leathery and dark.

"No," Bogg answered.

"Then what right do you have to keep me from my wife," he demanded.

Bogg lowered the stick he was pointing at the man's chest and the girl lowered the one she had pointed at Jeff. "What do you think kid?" Bogg asked and there was a long silence as they all sized each other up.

"Do you work this land?" Jeff asked the farmer.

"Of course, what else would I do," was the immediate answer.

Jeff stuck out his hand and introduced himself, "I'm Jeffrey, this is Phineas Bogg," he said.

"Ulric," he said and motioned to the girl, "this is Anne."

Bogg threw the stick on the ground, "sorry I jumped you, I didn't know you were her husband, I thought you were an invader," he lied as he glanced at Jeff who rolled his eyes.

"I thought as much, you must be new here," was Ulric's surprising answer and to Jeff's amazement, his tone held no malice.

"We are," Bogg answered in a satisfied tone as he glanced at Jeff, who nodded. This was typical Bogg, he could talk his way out of just about anything. It was a gift really, and Jeff was catching on a bit, though it didn't come as naturally to him.

"Come in," Ulric motioned toward the hut and Jeff followed them in, realizing this was their home. The walls were made of mud plastered branches, and the roof was thatch. Once his eyes adjusted he realized why it was so dark inside, the windows were only small slits in the walls, and there was no glass in them. As his eyes adjusted, he could see that there were 2 rooms and the floor was dirt, but covered in thatch, like the roof. A table and 2 stools sat in front of the open hearth in the center of the room and this is where Bogg sat down with Ulric, while Jeff and Anne stood off to the side. It wasn't lost on Jeff that both he and Anne were considered unimportant by Ulric.

"Who is Lord of the Castle?" Bogg asked.

"Lord Brindle of York," Ulric said, and Bogg glanced toward Jeff briefly. Suddenly, Jeff understood why Anne seemed so familiar. She bore a striking resemblance to Counselor Brindle. He stared at Bogg and listened to the conversation.

"So, what is Lord Brindle like?" Bogg asked him.

"Aye, he's a fair Lord, but without many men left, he won't be able to defend the castle. He'll be glad to have you stay, both of you." Bogg smiled, but didn't have the heart to tell the farmer they wouldn't be staying. "Anne," Ulric shouted suddenly, "fetch some water for the strangers," and the girl hurried outside immediately.

Jeff followed Anne to the well. "I can do that," he offered as she began hauling up the bucket. She continued to work, and when he went to reach for it to carry toward the house, she spoke again in an angry tone.

"You'll get me beat again if you do." Her tone was matter of fact, and Jeff was shocked when he noticed the beginnings of black around her right eye and a few healing cuts on her other cheek. It looked like she had been hit often.

"How old are you?" he asked softly as he gazed at her hands. The skin on her knuckles was dry and cracked in places and she had calluses on her palms. He could tell her life had been hard, and now she was married to a man who beat her and she was expecting a baby. Bogg was inside talking with Ulric, acting like this was the most normal thing in the world. It was hard to know what to think.

"Fourteen summers, or thereabouts, what do you care?" She faced him full on when she asked the question and again, she reminded Jeff of Brindle.

"How did you," he had started to speak without thinking, and he stopped himself, realizing her situation was so common, "where are your parents?" he changed the question to something that seemed a bit more comfortable.

"We watched the invaders kill them," she answered without emotion.

"We?"

"My sisters and meself, from under the shed," she showed him a long scar on her arm, "it's how I got this."

Jeff stared at the ugly scar.

"Where are your sisters now?" Jeff asked.

She gestured toward the fields, "working, Thea stays close to the house, but Mary keeps to herself on the edges of the field, she's the youngest." She squinted at him suspiciously, "does your man need another servant?"

"What?" a second later he realized what she meant. His 'Man' was Bogg.

"He doesn't have servants," Jeff said, but she looked as though she didn't believe it. "I'm not his servant," Jeff said.

"I could be more help to him than you," she said softly, "why would he want you if he could have me?" and her tone changed enough to make Jeff uncomfortable.

She moved to pick up the bucket but instead reached for a sickle that lay on the rocks surrounding the well. In one swift motion she snatched it up and turned toward Jeffrey, swinging it at his neck.


	4. Mercy

Sequel to Teaching Jeff

Chapter 4 Mercy

Jeff ducked quickly enough to avoid serious injury, but not fast enough to escape the blade altogether. He reached up for Anne's hand where she held the tool, which was now a weapon and they stood locked in place, muscles tense, neither one moving as blood dripped down his neck into his shirt. Her strength was surprising, probably due to the daily labors she was used to performing.

"Bogg! Help!" Jeff shouted, afraid that he wouldn't be able to get the blade away from her, or even immobilize her for long, they seemed pretty evenly matched.

She pushed her face forward and bit his arm, drawing blood before he realized what she was doing, in response he maneuvered to the side so his leg went behind her and he tried to push her off balance so she'd fall over his leg. It worked and she was falling when Bogg's hand pulled the sickle from her grasp.

"What's going on here?" he demanded and turned to look at Jeffrey's neck and arm.

"He tried to kill me!" Anne shouted, "and don't deny it," she accused Jeff as she stood up.

Bogg faced her, "don't be ridiculous," he said, "why did you attack him?"

"Never mind Bogg, I'm okay," Jeff said quietly, motioning him off to the side.

Bogg moved with him and knelt down on one knee. He moved Jeff's head to the side so he could see the wound, "let me take a look" he whispered and Jeff could tell he was upset. Bogg could see the blood had already clotted on Jeff's neck and knew the wound was superficial and blood loss wasn't a problem. However, infection was a huge concern in this dirty environment and with a human bite. He remembered how he had punched someone in the mouth and one of their teeth had nicked his knuckle. Four hours later his hand had swollen up to twice its normal size and he'd had to stay in the infirmary for 2 days. Not using your knuckles to fight was a lesson he'd learned well. The other was that human bites could become deadly in a very short time.

"I'm okay," Jeff repeated, "but we need to talk to her sisters, that's why we're here. I'm sure Anne is Brindle's sister, so that means she's out there," and he pointed to the field.

"The castle flag has the same emblem as I've seen on her desk," Bogg told him.

"Is the Lord her father?" Jeff asked, confused.

"No, these people don't have last names, they probably all just take on the name of the Lord of the Manor."

"We have to see her," Jeff repeated.

"Okay, but let's do it fast, I want you treated as soon as possible."

As they walked toward the field, Jeff spoke in an annoyed voice, "I'm not a baby you know."

"I know, but humor me, and later I'll tell you about my last human bite."

They walked to the first girl who was working closest to the hut, and Jeff called out to her, "Thea?" When she turned at the sound of her name, it was obvious that she wasn't the girl they were looking for.

"You can't tell her who we are you know, or about her future, or anything really," Bogg told him as they walked.

"I know," Jeff answered, and even as they walked, a plan was forming inside his head.

As they approached the girl who was working farthest away from the huts, Jeff stopped to watch her work. She worked hard, digging the root vegetables for harvest. Every 5th or 6th one she placed on a flat rock on the edge of the field. As she moved about, doing her work, Jeff could see plainly who she was.

"Looks like she's making a stash for herself," Bogg observed.

"Do you think she's figured out that there'll be another invasion?" Jeff asked.

Bogg nodded, "it sure looks like it kid."

They watched as she moved the vegetables from the rock into a sack and carried them into the woods. Ten yards away, they hesitantly entered the woods too, trying to stay as far away from her as they could, but still see what she was doing.

As they watched, they realized Bogg's observation was accurate. She moved a large, heavy rock, to reveal a small cave and placed the precious root vegetables into it.

Bogg tapped Jeff's shoulder and they backed away from the area. "She's working on the edges of the field so she'll be close enough to run here when the invasion starts," Bogg told him.

"It's a better plan than Anne had," Jeff admitted as they exited the woods and stood together on the edge of the field.

"What was Anne's plan?"

"She figured I was your servant and she could do a better job, so if she killed me, you might take her on."

They stood in silence again.

"Desperation can make people do terrible things," Bogg whispered, "and she's pretty young, they all are."

"Maybe it's not only my future?" Jeff said unexpectedly.

"What?"

"Why Brindle hates me so much, maybe she thinks I'll grow up and be important and she wants some of that power in the future, yeah, but maybe it's simpler than that. I mean, look at her life, she didn't have anyone," he paused, "and I have you. Maybe deep down, she's jealous?"

Bogg looked at the girl, thinking, "could be, when people are miserable, they can get pretty mean. I'm glad you move so quick."

Jeff put his hand up to his neck, it was beginning to ache, "not quick enough though."

"Ready to leave?" Bogg asked.

Jeff shook his head and as they watched Mary Brindle leave the woods, he started walking toward her. It was strange to see her looking so young, it looked like she was just about his age.

"Hi Mary," Jeff said, and when she faced him, he realized she had a bruise on the side of her face, like her sister did. She was much younger than Anne, but just as pregnant.

"Who are you?" Mary Brindle asked, glancing around with a fearful expression.

"A friend," Jeff hurried to say when he realized she was afraid, "of Anne, your sister." It was an odd thing to say, seeing as Anne had just tried to kill him, but in an odd way it was true too.

"What do you want?" Mary asked.

"I want to tell you that things will get better. You're smart, and strong inside, and you'll work hard and be a success. Don't give up."

She stared at him, listening.

"Someday, you'll have all the power, and you'll see a kid like me, and you should show," he paused, looking for the right word, "mercy."

She scowled at him, "what do you want?' she repeated.

Jeff felt Bogg's hand on his shoulder, "that's enough kid, come on" and Jeff let himself be led away. When they were out of sight, Bogg pushed the omni and they disappeared.


	5. The Custody Hearing

Sequel to Teaching Jeff

Chapter 5 The Hearing

They landed in the small room in the back of the infirmary, and as soon as Bogg got to his feet, he opened the door and motioned for Jeffrey to go through.

Their presence in the corridor caused a stir, and Sid Bradshaw approached them right away. Before he could speak, Bogg began.

"Jeff needs to be seen," he said, and in his worry and stress it came out as an order.

Luckily, Bradshaw noticed the blood and motioned Jeffrey into a treatment room immediately. An hour later, he'd had his first dose of an antibiotic and the wounds had been cleaned and dressed. Bogg sat beside the treatment table once again as Bradshaw went about his business, thinking that he had spent too much time lately, watching Jeff being examined by a doctor.

"Okay," Bradshaw said as he stood up, "now I'd like to know how you got out of that room and then back into it. You can't omni in and out of the infirmary and no one saw you leave or come back."

Bogg looked at him and sighed, "Can we talk about that later, when is the hearing?"

"When we couldn't find you, we postponed it until 2 o'clock," and all three of them glanced at the clock. It was 1:30, "we should get going then," the doctor finished and they left together.

...

The courtroom was the same one where Drake had Bogg on trial, and Jeffrey and Phineas sat together again at the same table.

The Tribunal entered and sat quietly and Professor Garth hit the gavel twice and began to speak. "This is a hearing to determine final custody of Jeffrey Jones. Two petitions are before the court, one previous recommendation by this Tribunal to grant custody to Oliver and Lydia Brindle and one from Phineas Bogg. Which side would like to present their case first?

"We've prepared a concise argument," the Brindle's attorney said as he stood up. He was over 6 feet tall and towered over those who were seated.

He took 4 folders from his briefcase and gave one to each member of the Tribunal, and one to Susan. Phineas and Jeffrey listened as he outlined all the reasons Jeff should be in the custody of the Brindles. Phineas found himself more distressed than ever as the reasons were listed. On the surface, it did sound like an ideal placement. The Brindles had enough money, a comfortable home, and a desire to help Jeffrey learn. They had access to all the tutors and libraries of the Voyager culture, and his training at the Academy could begin as soon as he seemed ready. The final point they made was that he would be safer with them than out in the field with Bogg. The attorney pointed to his current injuries as proof of the dangers he had previously been exposed to in Field Work.

Phineas' heart sank, he doubted that his petition would sound so positive.

Soon it was Susan's turn to speak, and she also produced folders for them all and began to speak. She read Dr. Bradshaw's letter and medical reports, and Phineas had to admit it sounded convincing. Then she asked Lydia Brindle to step forward and when she did, it was easy to tell that her testimony was a surprise to Oliver and Counselor Brindle. Then she called all of Jeffrey's tutors up for short statements, as well as the medical staff. Joyce smiled at Jeffrey and waved when she finished explaining his condition upon admission and rapid improvement the previous evening.

Judge Owens was called next, and recounted his conversation with Bogg about the omnis unusual behavior and followed that with a detailed and referenced report on similar events in the history of Voyaging.

Finally, Susan sat down and it was quiet. Phineas touched her arm and when she turned to him he mouthed the word 'thanks', honestly thinking they had hope. For a majority vote, they only had to convince Kane.

"This court will take a short recess, and reconvene in one hour," and Garth let the gavel fall.

...

Jeff squeezed Bogg's arm as they waited, "it looks good, don't you think?" he whispered when Phineas turned to him. Phineas smiled, he felt hopeful, but he was surprised that some doubts were mixed in too.

"Yeah, I don't know what else we could've said," he answered, but despite all the positive statements, it had dawned on him that, even if he did get custody, he still felt ill prepared to raise Jeffrey. He was sure everyone could see through his confident exterior very clearly. He forced those thoughts to stop and mentally kicked himself. Now was not the time for self-reflection, first he needed custody, then he could worry about whether he was up to the task.


	6. Jeff's Approach

Sequel to Teaching Jeff

Chapter 6 Jeff's Approach

The Tribunal re-entered the courtroom exactly one hour later. Garth cleared his throat. "By a vote of two to one, the petition for custody from Phineas Bogg is approved."

A collective sigh could be heard from half of the room, but before the gavel fell to adjourn, Jeffrey spoke.

"I want another vote," he said loudly, cutting through the excited conversations that had begun.

Bogg leaned down and pulled him aside, "what're you doing?" he whispered.

"I want it to be unanimous," Jeff whispered back and then turned and walked around the desk to the center of the room to face the Tribunal.

"Mary," he said, addressing Brindle.

Oliver jumped to his feet quickly, "You disrespectful scum," he shouted, but Brindle held up her hand, her eyes on Jeffrey.

"You are smart and strong," Jeff said to her and suddenly the entire room was silent.

Brindle's expression was stony, but behind the mask of her face, her memories were stirred. She remembered where and how and why she had lived, just before she was taken as a Voyager. She hadn't thought about those days in so long, she was surprised when she actually remembered those horrible times. The boy was there too, somehow, and she could hear his words in her mind, just as he spoke them now.

Jeff continued, "things started out too horrible to image, and you probably don't want to remember, but they got better. You worked hard and now you're a success. You have all the power, and I'm just a kid," he paused, "but, it would be okay if you showed some," he hesitated again, just like he'd done back in medieval times, "mercy." Jeff voice gave away his emotions as he spoke the last word, and he blinked back tears. Phineas walked halfway around the desk, and stopped, wanting to go to Jeff, but not willing to destroy the power of the moment.

Brindles facial expression didn't change, and when she spoke, her voice was not soft or comforting, but her words surprised everyone.

"I will support Voyager Bogg's petition for custody," she said and then rose and walked out without looking at any of them.

Jeff watched her leave and suddenly felt Bogg's arms around him, lifting him from behind and swinging him around. When his feet hit the ground he turned and hugged him tightly, and then Susan, Dr. Bradshaw, Lydia and Professor Garth were clapping them on the back and everyone was talking at once.

After Jeffrey hugged Lydia, he looked at Oliver, still sitting stiffly in the chair off to the side of the room. Jeff started toward him, but Bogg stopped him.

"Listen Senator," Bogg began, and Jeff smiled, thinking about how he'd convinced the German scientists to come to America, "it's not up to you to fix his life, maybe Lydia or his mother can, now, but you're done. Got that?"

Jeff looked at Oliver, then back at Bogg, and trusted him enough to stop. Bogg smiled at him, "finally, you're actually doing what I say?" Bogg teased.

"What'd you mean? I always do what you say?' Jeff told him, then laughed. "Okay, so I'll have to work on that."

...

Later that evening they entered the same small room in the infirmary, and a nurse gave Jeffrey another dose of antibiotic.

"You know," Bogg began as he settled Jeff into bed, "most people would have wanted revenge after getting attacked like you did," he said.

Jeff shrugged, "like you said, she was desperate, anyway, I figured since I was asking Mary to show mercy, I should too."

Bogg shook his head and stretched out on the other bed in the room, "you're really something, you know that?"

"You know, I still really don't understand why the omni isn't working normally," Jeff said as he settled in bed. When there was no answer, he asked, "Bogg?"

He leaned up on one elbow and stared at Bogg. He lay on his back with his bent elbow covering his eyes. He had just lain down a moment ago, yet Jeffrey was certain he was sound asleep. He stared at him for a moment, and suddenly felt safe. He closed his eyes too and fell asleep to the sound of Bogg's slow steady breathing.

The End


End file.
